[thorin]

Heart of darkness is very short and fits into those great books like L'Etranger and the Old Man and the Sea that can be usefully read in an afternoon and give back way more than they demand from you.

Republic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it.

Again the mythical man month still holds true and it very readable. It's interesting for anyone interested in computing history as well as for it's key points on management.